ByJoe Guzzardi

Joe is a CAPS Senior Writing Fellow whose commentaries about California's social issues have run in newspapers throughout California and the country for nearly 30 years. Contact Joe at joeguzzardi@capsweb.org, or find him on Twitter @joeguzzardi19.

Batten down the hatches. President Trump’s rescinding of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) means that enforcement advocates face up to six months of a never-ending battle against Congress, the media, pro-amnesty lobbyists, lawyers, corporate executives, the Chamber of Commerce, as well as religious and academic leaders. Formidable opposition, to be sure. But facing long odds is nothing new for our side.

To set the stage, after months of waffling President Trump through Attorney General Jeff Sessions ended DACA on September 5, the same day that ten states attorneys generals promised to file lawsuit to block the program from going forward. Bowing to the court decision that would favor the states, President Trump acted.

According to Capitol Hill insiders, no DACA two-year renewal applications will be accepted after October 5, and, effective immediately, would-be future DACAs can no longer apply, and therefore cannot get employment authorization documents.

Existing DACA work permits that expire after March 5, 2018 will be honored in the interim, and illegal aliens will be allowed to remain in their jobs. Once the permits expire starting March 6 and though 2019 at an estimated 1,000 a day rate, the vacated jobs will become available to Americans.

The unconstitutional Obama program awarded about 800,000 work permits to illegal aliens. Their presence in a weak, part-time labor market made it tougher for unemployed and under-employed Americans to get jobs.

But, if immigration expansionists succeed in their effort to pass a special DACA amnesty, then all bets are off and American workers remain in their second class status. Senate leaders Mitch Mc Connell and Chuck Schumer as well as House leaders Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi are unanimous in their amnesty commitment.

Accordingly, the media coverage suggests that amnesty is inevitable. History, however, tells a different story. Since 2001 when Senator Richard Durbin, (D-Il.) first introduced DACA, then referred to as the DREAM Act, Congress has rejected it multiple times during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Durbin’s website boasts that he’s re-introduced his failed legislation in every Congress since 2001.

DACA gets lots of fanfare in D.C., but when legislators go home to mingle with their constituents, they learn that amnesty and work permits for illegal aliens is unpopular---very unpopular. And with the congressional DACA debate coming as the 2018 election year approaches, legislators will be ultra-cautious with their votes.

Conditions are perfect for a deal. Democrats want amnesty, and Americans that put President Trump in the White House and gave Republican a congressional majority want immigration laws enforced and less overall immigration.

In exchange for amnesty, President Trump must get something in exchange, namely E-Verify and the RAISE Act. E-Verify would guarantee that only citizens and legally present aliens get work permits, and the RAISE Act would end chain migration that has glutted the work force, and been a major contributor to runaway population growth.

CAPS has Action Alerts on E-Verify and the Raise Act. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced S 179, the Accountability through Electronic Verification Act, which to date has only 11 cosponsors. The Action Alert on mandatory E-Verify is here.

Then, please go to the CAPS Action Alert page here to tell your Senators that you expect their support of the vitally important RAISE Act.

Tell your legislators that without E-Verify, and without the RAISE Act, DACA amnesty is off the table

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Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization that relies solely on donations. CAPS works to formulate and advance policies and programs designed to stabilize the population of California, the U.S. and the world at levels which will preserve the environment and a good quality of life for all.